The Harmony Chronicles
by Ryuutsu Seishin Hime no Argh
Summary: Chapter 12: The Metal City. Tai and Agumon search for the mysteriously-vanished Lily and Auramon...but the two are far underground, in a place of horror they'll never forget...
1. Enter the Ninth Digidestined

*Okay, well, the plot's pretty basic. When the Digidestined receive proof of a ninth Digidestined, they head back to Odaiba to find her. Unbeknownst to them, however, a threat looms in the darkness...*  
  
*Please read and review, I don't mind criticism as long as it's constructive. Tell me how I can improve it, and if you like it as it is, tell me that too! I really appreciate everyone who takes time to read this story. There are quite a few chapters so please stick with me. It gets better as the plot starts to develop. ^.~ I will try to upload as often as I can. Thanks again!*  
  
Episode 1   
ENTER THE NINTH DIGIDESTINED   
  
We joined our heroes in the Digiworld who were chilling after yet another trying fight, when there was a buzz on Izzy's computer.   
  
"Look you guys, e-mail from Gennai," Izzy said, and the rest gathered around him.   
  
Gennai's voice on the computer said, "I have something you kids will definitely want to see. I found it this morning floating in the surf off the coast of Continent Server. Come to the first lake you can find and I will be there."   
  
"Leave that to me," Gomamon said cheerfuly. "I am the expert on finding water."   
  
"What could he possibly have for us?" Sora asked.   
  
"I don't know but we've definitely got to go find it," Tai said.   
  
"Oh, big surprise, Tai is ready to go," Matt said, rolling his eyes.   
  
"Tai's right, we should go see," Izzy said. "Gennai did say it was important."   
  
Without waiting for an agreement Gomamon jumped into the river. "C'mon, let's go! There's a lake not far from here!"   
  
"What could make Gomamon happier than finding water?" Joe muttered as the kids and Digimon set off. After a few minutes of walking the river opened up onto a lake and they found Gennai waiting on the shore.   
  
"Hi, Gennai," Izzy said.   
  
"Hello, kids," he greeted them. "Got a little surprise for you."   
  
He held up a hand, and dangling from it was...   
  
"A tag!" all the kids and Digimon said in unison.   
  
"Very good," Gennai replied. "Now let's see if you can figure out what this means."   
  
"There's an ninth digidestined!" Izzy cried.   
  
"Right again, you kids are getting smart," Gennai said. "Yes, there is an ninth kid and he's in your home town, once again."   
  
"Who?" Tai demanded.   
  
"I don't know. What do I look like, a psychic?"   
  
"If the kid is in our home town, then that means we're going to have to find our way back," Matt said.   
  
"Oh no," Mimi groaned. "Does anyone else remember the last time we went home?"   
  
"I sure remember Myotismon," Agumon said. "Who could forget?"   
  
"With our luck, we'll search the whole city, then at the last moment, find that it was somebody right under our noses the whole time," Joe moaned.   
  
One by one the kids all looked at Kari.   
  
"Don't ask me," she said. "I don't know who it is."   
  
"Okay, let's not panic here," Tai said. "We have to figure out how to get back to Earth, but hopefully there won't be any rush. When we do get back, we'll start with people we know, ask them if they have a digivice or anything."   
  
"But don't forget, Kari didn't have her digivice before Wizardmon found it and gave it to her," Matt said.   
  
"I'm afraid he's right, the digivice could be anywhere," Gabumon said.   
  
"Well, as of now, I think that's our best bet to go on," Tai replied. "Besides, we can at least use our digivice to try to locate the ninth one. Remember, they activate when they're near each other."   
  
"Now that that's decided, how are we going to get to Earth?" Sora demanded.   
  
"How about the cards?" TK suggested. "That's how we got to Odaiba the last time."   
  
"But Myotismon's castle has been destroyed, along with the card pattern," Izzy said.   
  
"I have the cards," Gennai said. "And I can create a new pattern. Now that you kids know how to figure it out, as well as which card is fake-"   
  
"That would be mine," Agumon said.   
  
"-you shouldn't have any trouble opening the dimensional rift."   
  
"Gennai, that would be great!" Izzy said. "That would save us a lot of trouble."   
  
"Good, and you can all help me," Gennai said.   
  
"Ohhhhhhhhh," the kids groaned.   
  
*********************  
  
Finally the card pattern was finished. "And here are the cards," Gennai said, handing them over to Izzy.   
  
"Okay let's see," Izzy murmured. He looked over the card pattern and quickly placed the cards into the right slots.   
  
"Done," he said proudly as a hole began to tear through the sky. Through it they saw flashes of their home town.   
  
"Home," Mimi said. "Oh, how wonderful!"   
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tai said. "Let's go!"   
  
"Wait, you kids forgot the tag!" Gennai yelled, rushing after them. He grabbed Tai's hand and placed the tag into it. "There. Be careful and don't lose it!"   
  
"I won't, I won't," Tai said as he and Agumon bounded quickly into the drift.   
  
They fell for a very long time and suddenly they were lying face-down in the middle of an empty parking lot.   
  
"Kari, are you all right?" Tai demanded. She murmured a reply. "Everybody okay?"   
  
"I'm great," Matt said groggily. "The concrete broke my fall."   
  
"Well, here we are again," Sora said, sitting up and touching her head carefully.   
  
"At least this time we're a step ahead of any bad Digimon," Biyomon said.   
  
"Don't say that!" Joe yelled. "You're going to jinx us."   
  
"Aw, don't be a pessimist, Joe," Gomamon said. "We'll find this kid."   
  
"Let's just hope that it won't be as hard as the last time we had to find a Digidestined," Matt said, ever optimistic.   
  
Next episode: "HOME SWEET HOME" 


	2. Home Sweet Home

Episode 2   
HOME SWEET HOME   
  
"I guess I'd better fill everybody in. Izzy recieved an e-mail from Gennai telling us that he had something important for us. When we found him he showed us what it was- another tag! We figured that this meant there is a ninth Digidestined kid and he's living in our home town. We helped Gennai build another card pattern just like the one Myotismon had and used it and the cards to open the drift and get back to the real world. I hope finding this Digidestined isn't gonna be as hard as it was finding the eighth one." -Tai   
  
Tai, Kari, and their Digimon threw open the door to their apartment and stood for a moment basking in the familiar sights of home- the TV, the furniture, that annoying windchime in the window, their mom in the kitchen...   
  
"Mom!" Tai and Kari both yelled. Mrs. Kamiya looked up in time to see both of her children slam into her.   
  
"Tai! Kari! You're here! But I thought..." Mrs Kamiya shook her head. "I thought you were in that digital world, whatever you call it...I saw you go with my very own eyes!"   
  
"Oh, we went," Tai said. "We were there for a few months-"   
  
"-we had to fight these creepy Dark Masters," Kari interuppted. "That's why we were one so long-"   
  
"-you wouldn't believe how hard it was to beat them-"   
  
"-but we did-"   
  
"-and Gennai gave us the tag for the ninth Digidestined-"   
  
"-we have to look for him here-"   
  
"One at a time, one at a time!" Mrs Kamiya yelled. "Calm down, kids, I'm not going anywhere."   
  
"Well that's the problem, cause we could at any moment," Gatomon said.   
  
"Yeah, the drift could open right after we find this kid," Agumon added.   
  
Mrs Kamiya looked up and saw the Digimon for the first time. "Oh. Hello."   
  
"Hi," Agumon and Gatomon said.   
  
"Mom, you remember our Digimon, right?" Tai asked nervously.   
  
Mrs Kamiya laughed, and the tension was broken. "Of course I do, how could I forget? Are you four hungry?"   
  
"Starving!" Tai, Kari, Agumon and Gatomon said in unison.   
  
"Well, there's food in the fridge, or I could cook up something if-" Mrs Kamiya never got to finish before her kids and their Digimon were at the fridge, gobbling down as much food as they could hold.   
  
Tai managed to pause and looked up at the calender. He quickly swallowed his food. "Look! Unless I'm going crazy, it's the exact same day we left for the Digiworld...again!"   
  
"Yes, that would be feasible," Izzy said later on the phone with Tai. "The last time we came back from the Digiworld, it was the same day we left. That was supposed to be our first day of camp. We spent about a week back in Odaiba battling Myotismon, and my calender says that today is about a week after the day we were first pulled into the Digiworld."   
  
"Yeah, that's what my calender says too," Tai answered. "Anyway, I called the others and they're chilling for a while, but I think we'd better start searching for this digidestined kid pretty soon."   
  
"I agree completely," Izzy said, just as Tentomon came bounding into his room with a plate of food.   
  
"Look, Izzy!" Tentomon said happily. "Your lovely and wonderful mom made me a delicious lunch! Isn't she great?"   
  
"Izzy, is it just me, or does Tentomon have a major crush on your mom?" Tai asked,   
who had overheard.   
  
"It's definitely not just you," Izzy said, smiling affectionately at his Digimon as he gobbled up the food.   
  
*******************  
  
In a deep, dark cavern an enormous Digimon waited in the shadows. "GOROMON!" he bellowed.   
  
A whining, sniveling form of a Digimon appeared at his feet. The tiny Digimon was black all over and crab-like, with three legs and two black pincers. His enormous white eyes were set right on his back. "You summoned me, o great Metaldragamon?"   
  
Goromon's patron took a step away from the shadows. He was longer than a Seadramon and about ten times as nasty. He was covered in almost invincible silver and gold metal scales, and he had two enormous wings and four legs ending in wickedly curved claws.   
  
"Goromon, you whining little fiend," he sneered in a strong, evil voice. "You disgust me. Can you do anything right?"   
  
Goromon cringed. "Please, master, I did not mean to lose the tag!"   
  
Metaldragamon laughed. "And yet it all works out for the best," he boomed. "Those silly Digidestined will find the ninth child for me and then, when they are united and believed to be at the height of their power, I will attack and crush them into the dirt."   
  
"Oh yes, master, you will, you will!" Goromon cried.   
  
"Do not tempt my patience," Metaldragamon snapped. "The only reason I'm keeping you around is so that you can help me round up evil Digimon to set upon the Digidestined. I want to test them, to see if they are even worthy of facing my great might."   
  
"Oh, they could never be!" Goromon said. "O-only..."   
  
"Only what?" Metaldragamon demanded.   
  
"Well, it-it seems to me that if you allow the Digidestined to f-find the ninth child, won't that only make them...er...stronger?"   
  
There was a long silence. Then came a menacing growl.   
  
"Do you actually think that I might not know what I'm doing?" Metaldragamon said silkily.   
  
"No, master! No!" Goromon cried.   
  
"Did I not just say that I am testing them, to see how strong they are?!" Metaldragamon demanded.   
  
"Yes, of course you did, master!"   
  
"Then I SUGGEST that you NEVER question my ways AGAIN!"   
  
******************  
  
That evening, Tai and Kari stood together with their Digimon and watched the sun set over the city of Odaiba.   
  
"Tai?" Kari asked.   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Do you think we'll find the ninth Digidestined soon?"   
  
"I hope we will, Kari."   
  
She paused. Then she said, "Do you think we'll find him before an evil Digimon does?"   
  
"Of course we will."   
  
"What if an evil Digimon kills him before we can find him?"   
  
Tai shook his head. "That won't happen. We're the Digidestined. We're supposed to be together. It's written in the stars and all that. And if our destiny is to fight together and beat the evil Digimon and basically save the worls, how can one of us be dead?"   
  
"So you do think that we'll beat the evil Digimon eventually," Kari said.   
  
"Of course I do," Tai replied. "We can't take the chance that we won't."   
  
Next episode: "TAI'S FRIEND"   
  



	3. Tai's Friend

Episode 3   
TAI'S FRIEND   
  
  
"All of the Digidestined, including yours truly, got home and spent the day being hugged by our parents and eating as much as we could hold. Tai discovered that it was the exact same day we left for the Digiworld again after battling Myotismon, even though we'd been in the Digiworld for months. The city was still a mess and everyone was trying to get over the attacks of Myotismon. There may be other evil Digimon planning to attack the city soon, but hopefully there won't be any more trouble." -Izzy   
  
Tai woke up the morning after he got home to hear his mom yelling for him.   
  
"Tai! One of your friends is on the phone!"   
  
"Is it Izzy?" he yelled back.   
  
"No."   
  
"Matt?"   
  
"No, it's a girl."   
  
"Sora?"   
  
"No, I think it's your friend Lily. She went on vacation a couple of weeks ago, remember?"   
  
"Now I do," he muttered, staggering into the living room. Lily had been his best friend since they were in kindergarten together, though he couldn't have told anyone why. They were total opposites. Lily was very calm and level-headed -unlike me, Tai thought to himself- and she didn't even like soccer. She lived two floors down and to the left in his building.   
  
Tai took the phone his mom handed him and murmured, "Hello?"   
  
"Tai?" Lily's voice said on the other end.   
  
"Hi, Lily. What's up?"   
  
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."   
  
Tai knew her too well for that. "Except...?"   
  
"Except I come home and the whole city's been practically destroyed! Geez, what did I miss?"   
  
Tai collapsed on the sofa. "A lot."   
  
"The TV station's out," Lily said. "And one of the bridges out of town. And everywhere on the news I hear stories about big monsters that attacked the city, for gods sake. And WHAT on or off Earth made that big hole on the first floor?!"   
  
Tai smiled. That had been Greymon, when he was trying to get Tai's mom back after she had been captured by the Bakemon. That didn't exactly work, but at least they got Mrs. Kamiya back later.   
  
"I really don't know," he lied. "It was too confusing to really understand what was going on."   
  
"Man, I go to the shore for a week and everything falls apart," Lily grumbled.   
  
"Yeah, it was all your fault for leaving, Lily."   
  
"Ha ha," she replied dryly. "By the way, I heard about soccer camp. Sorry that got snowed out."   
  
"That's okay," he said. "I'll guess I'll just have to hang around here."   
  
"Well, I'm coming up," Lily grumbled. "I'm bored of being here by myself. Jamie had to go back   
to classes early this morning, and she's working late at the hospital tonight."   
  
Lily lived with her sister, Jamie, who was going to college and was taking care of Lily as their parents were dead, killed in a terrible car accident when Lily was just a little girl. Jamie was working as a nurse in the hospital until she got her MD, which was probably going to be pretty soon.   
  
"Uh, well, I don't know if that's I good idea," Tai said nervously as Agumon wandered into the living room. His parents might be okay with their visiting Digimon, but he had a feeling Lily might be freaked out by them. Plus there was that whole thing with the ninth Digidestined. They DID have to start searching sooner or later.   
  
"Lily, do you have a digivice?" Tai asked suddenly.   
  
"A digi-what?"   
  
Tai sighed. "Never mind. I guess that's a stupid question."   
  
"Tai, what are you talking about?"   
  
"Forget it. But come on up. We can take a walk or something, if you don't mind my little sister   
coming along."   
  
"No, I don't mind," Lily said. "See ya." She hung up.   
  
Well, Tai thought, guess I can't take the Digimon anywhere. Hopefully there won't be any baddies hanging around.   
  
"Kari," he yelled. "You wanna go for a walk?"   
  
*******************  
  
Metaldragamon watched from the shadows as the story played out.   
  
"It is time, Goromon," he boomed. "Send the first one."   
  
*******************  
  
Joe, Mimi, Palmon, and Gomamon roamed the streets together, looking for signals on the digivices. Earlier Joe had called Mimi for a little Digidestined hunting. During their time in exile away from the others, back when the Dark Masters were still running around, Joe and Mimi had formed a close bond, and even now, it somehow hadn't felt right searching the city without Mimi.   
  
"Boy, this heat is destroying my hair," Mimi complained. She complained an awful lot. But that was okay. Joe had gotten used to it by now.   
  
"Maybe we should check out some nice, air-conditioned arcade or something," Joe suggested innocently. "The kid will probably be in a place like that."   
  
Mimi looked at him and flashed her winning smile. "Now you're talking!"   
  
"You're telling me," Palmon said happily.   
  
"Mm-hm," Gomamon agreed.   
  
At first Mimi and Joe had considered stuffing the Digimon in a bag or something so that they wouldn't be seen by the public, but they soon decided that there was no point in that. After all the huge monsters that had attacked Odaiba over the past week, Joe seriously doubted anyone was going to care much about their little Rookies.   
  
"Okay, so now that that's decided, why don't we find a nice cool restaurant?" Mimi said. "The kid has to eat, right?"   
  
"Definitely!" Gomamon said happily.   
  
Then suddenly, a shadow fell over them.   
  
"AAAARRRRRRRCCKKKK!" A terrible, screeching cry filled the air, causing the kids and their Digimon to clap their hands over their ears.   
  
"I have a feeling we're going to have to take a rain check on that lunch idea!" Joe yelled to Mimi.   
  
"Oh no!" Palmon cried. "It's Skullvulmon!"   
  
The enormous bird descended on them, it's bald head gleaming and it's claws glistening wickedly.   
  
"Skullvulmon is an enormous bird Digimon with a nasty attitude!" Gomamon informed them as their digivices took note of the creature. "You'd better not cross her or she'll impale you with those claws!"   
  
The bird swooped over their heads and landed a few feet away as people began screaming and running for cover.   
  
"Palmon and Gomamon, I think you'd better do your stuff!" Joe yelled.   
  
"Right!" the Digimon replied in unison as the digivices activated.   
  
"Palmon, digivolve to...TOGEMON!"   
"Gomamon, digivolve to...IKKAKUMON!"   
  
Next Episode: "THE HUNT FOR THE DIGIDESTINED"   
  



	4. The Hunt for the Digidestined

*Well, this will be the last for today. What did you think, I have no life other than uploading? Actually, don't answer that. ^.~ I'll have some up tomorrow. Review please!! Thanks.*  
  
Episode 4   
THE HUNT FOR THE DIGIDESTINED   
  
"Talk about your bad days. While Tai was having fun hanging out with his sister and his friend Lily, Mimi and I were out in the searing heat searching for the ninth Digidestined and of course we didn't find him. Then to make things even worse, this big ugly vulture called Skullvulmon showed up and attacked us! Maybe the heat was getting to her, too. Anyway, Gomamon and Palmon digivolved to Ikkakumon and Togemon, and hopefully they'll send that ugly bird flying." -Joe   
  
Skullvulmon stared at the two newly-digivolved Digimon with a mixture of amusment and contempt on her ugly face.   
  
"Is this the best you have?" she laughed.   
  
Togemon and Ikkakumon glowered at her. "Seems the bird could use a little feather clipping, if you ask me," Togemon growled.   
  
Skullvulmon narrowed her red eyes. "We'll see who clips who."   
  
Suddenly, she leaped into the air and hovered, beating her wings, above Togemon and Ikkakumon.   
  
"NEEDLE SPRAY!"   
"HARPOON TORPEADO!"   
  
Togemon and Ikkakumon launched their attacks at Skullvulmon, but suddenly...   
  
"FIRE OF DECAY!"   
  
A torrent of flame spat from Skullvulmon's beak, engulfing the other Digimon's attacks. The flame hit Togemon and Ikkakumon and they were thrown back suddenly into a not-so-well-placed building.   
  
"Ohhhhhhh," Togemon and Ikkakumon both murmured.   
  
"Ikkakumon!" Joe yelled.   
  
"Oh, no, Togemon!" Mimi screamed. Suddenly, from under her dress, a bright beam of light shot out, and Joe could see the sillohette of Mimi's Crest of Sincerety underneath the fabric. Mimi's digivice gave a piercing trill.   
  
"Togemon! Digivolve to...LILLYMON!"   
  
The watching spectators gasped in wonder. "Whaaaat?" Skullvulmon sqwaked indignantly as she fell away from the fairy-like creature before her.   
  
"You're not the only one who can fly, you silly birdie!" Lillymon mocked as she spread her dainty wings and took to the air.   
  
"I guess we'll just have to see who's stronger, then!" Skullvulmon yelled. She tucked her wings back and suddenly shot straight at Lillymon, but the Digimon skipped easily out of Skullvulmon's path.   
  
Joe made his way quickly to Ikkakumon's side. "Sorry, Joe, but I'm out of energy," the big Digimon sighed wearily. "I have to dedigiviolve. But I think Lillymon can handle this one."   
  
"That's okay, my friend," Joe replied as Ikkakumon began to dedigivolve. Once he was Gomamon again, the two looked up.   
  
Lillymon was darting and weaving through the sky at an amazing rate, faster and more agile than the quickest of birds. Skullvulmon was darting after her as fast as she could, but the bird Digimon was no match for Lillymon. No matter how many times Skullvulmon launched her Fire of Decay, Lillymon easily avoided it. The crowd of people oohed and ahhed and watched in awe as Lillymon continued her strangely beautiful dance across the sky.   
  
"That's the way to do, Lillymon!" Gomamon yelled in support of his Digimon friend.   
  
Skullvulmon was quickly slowing down. Finally she landed on the ground, exhausted. Lillymon zipped away out of sight. Skullvulmon whirled around furiously, searching for her, but couldn't find her. Neither could Mimi and Joe, though they searched just as hard.   
  
Then suddenly, from the air..."Yoo-hoo!"   
  
Skullvulmon's head snapped up.   
  
"FLOWER CANNON!"   
  
Skullvulmon gave one last, anguished shriek before she dissolved into nothing.   
  
"Yeah! All right, Lillymon!" Mimi cried as her Digimon slowly drifted back to the ground. The crowd cheered along with Joe and Mimi as they rushed forward. Lillymon smiled as she began to glow, and soon Palmon was sitting on the ground, looking tired but immensely proud.   
  
******************  
  
Tai, Kari, and Lily wandered the streets together, having a good time complaining about the heat. Both Tai and Kari kept their digivices clutched in their hands, just in case they picked up a reading from the ninth digivice.   
  
Lily sighed dubiously. "This heat is driving me nuts. It's too boring inside but too hot outside. I wish it would snow, like it did at your camp, Tai."   
  
Tai looked at his friend and rolled his eyes. "You're the only one who ever liked cold weather, Lily."   
  
She grinned at him. "Must be something in my blood."   
  
"I like cold weather," Kari said. "Especially when it snows."   
  
"See?" Lily said smugly. "Your sister's on my side."   
  
"Gee, thanks, Kari," Tai said dryly. "What ever happened to family loyalty?"   
  
Lily and Kari both laughed while Tai glowered at them.   
  
Lily was the same age that Tai was, and about the same height if you minused his hair. She had dark brown hair, almost black, and very light blue eyes. She was wearing a white tank top that was nearly the same color as her pale skin and khaki pants, plus a pair of brown sandals that she must have gotten at the beach or something.   
  
"Tai!" Someone was calling his name. Tai looked up and saw Mimi, Joe, Palmon and Gomamon racing toward him.   
  
"You two stay here," he said quickly. "I'll be right back."   
  
Lily and Kari looked at each other and shrugged while Tai ran to meet Joe and Mimi.   
  
"What's wrong, you guys?" Tai demanded. "You look totally freaked out."   
  
"We've got some bad news," Joe said.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
"Well," Joe said, "this morning Mimi and I went out to look for the ninth digidestined kid. Things were going fine for a while and then suddenly, out of nowhere, this huge bird Digimon called Skullvulmon came swooping down!"   
  
"I had to digivolve to Lillymon to save us," Palmon interrupted.   
  
"Did you have any trouble defeating it after that?" Tai asked.   
  
"No, Lillymon took care of that birdie right away," Mimi said.   
  
"I assume she was an Ultimate, or maybe a very strong Champion," Joe said. "In any case, she   
was no match for Lillymon. But that's not the point. The point is, there are Digimon back on Earth, which could mean that we aren't the only ones searching for the Digidestined!"   
  
"Okay, calm down, Joe," Tai said. "I know, this is serious. Go home and call the others, and tell them to come over my house as soon as they can. We need to figure out what to do."   
  
"Right," Mimi and Joe replied, and the two took off.   
  
He went back to Lily and Kari. "Come on. We've got to go home."   
  
"Okay," Kari said, and Lily followed without a word. She knew Tai well enough to know that something was definitely up.   
  
Next Episode: "THE DIMENSIONAL RIFT"   
  



	5. The Dimensional Rift

*Well here's another episode (chapter). Whatever. Heh. Enjoy!*  
  
Episode 5   
THE DIMENSIONAL RIFT   
  
"Joe and I were attacked by that ugly Skullvulmon while we were out looking for the ninth Digidestined. Palmon and Gomamon digivolved but they still weren't powerful enough to withstand Skullvulmon's disgusting Fire of Decay. Togemon didgivolved to Lillymon and took care of the birdie right away, then we all went to find Tai and tell him that there are Digimon on Earth again. What a rotten day." -Mimi   
  
Kari and TK sat together on a couple of patio chairs with their Digimon on the Kamiya's balcony. TK knew that inside the apartment the other Digidestined were discussing, maybe even arguing about what to do now that other Digimon were back on Earth. But TK didn't really care much. He didn't want to be a part of that discussion. He was very happy just sitting with Kari. He liked Kari.   
  
TK looked at her. She was sitting very quietly with her hands folded in her lap, staring out at the city. She was always quiet, which was one of the many things TK admired about her. She was always very calm too, and her being calm seemed to make him calm too. TK usually talked a lot, and he wasn't always very brave, but he was more now that Kari had joined their group. Or maybe he wasn't, exactly, but he tried to be because he wanted Kari to THINK he was brave. He was pretty sure that she did.   
  
But he wanted to be brave for another reason, too. He wanted to have the bravery to protect Kari whenever it came down to a fight. Whenever Tai couldn't take care of her, he always asked TK to, which made him very proud. TK thought that he was the best person besides Tai to protect Kari.   
  
"Kari?" he said suddenly.   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"We're best friends, right?"   
  
"Of course we are."   
  
There was a long pause. Then TK said, "And we're going to be best friends forever, right?"   
  
"Sure, TK. Why wouldn't we be?"   
  
"Promise!" TK said fiercely.   
  
Kari looked at him, surprised. "I promise, TK. How come you're worried about us not being best friends?"   
  
TK sighed. "I dunno. I guess it's just the way the others fight sometimes. Remember when we all split up that time just 'cause Tai and Matt had a fight?"   
  
"Yes, I remember. But they made up and now they're friends again."   
  
"Yeah, I know. But still. We can't ever let that happen to us, Kari."   
  
Kari looked at him. "I don't want us to ever fight, but we could."   
  
TK shook his head fiercely. "Uh-uh. We always have to stay together. If we aren't, who's going to protect you, Kari?"   
  
"I will, TK," Gatomon spoke up. "That's my job, isn't it?"   
  
"Yeah, I know it is," TK admitted reluctantly. "And you do a really good job of it too! But I think...I think if we're all together, it'll be easier for us to protect each other. And Kari-" He hesitated. "I...I want to always take care of you, too!"   
  
Kari smiled at him. "I'm glad I have somebody brave like you to take care of me, TK."   
  
TK smiled back. That was what he liked most about her: the way she made him feel so good.   
  
**********************  
  
Metaldragamon summoned Goromon to his dark cavern with a bellow that was probably heard clear across the Digiworld.   
  
"GOROMON!"   
  
"Yes, master," Goromon said, appearing as fast as he could.   
  
"Goromon! Is it true? Did they really defeat Skullvulmon that easily?!"   
  
"Well, actually, master," Goromon said in a trembling voice, "it was only, er, one of the humans and her Digimon partner."   
  
"WHAAAAAAAT?!"   
  
Goromon cringed. "Please, master, don't be angry!"   
  
Metaldragamon was silent for a moment, save for the hisses he made through his teeth.   
  
"The Digidestined are stronger than I anticipated," he said at last. "It is time to begin splitting them apart. We'll see how strong they are alone."   
  
"Yes, of course, master."   
  
"Use the dimensional rift as I have showed you. Cut them off from each other. Then we will see how this little story plays out."   
  
Next Episode: GONE IN ONE OR TWO SECONDS


	6. Gone in One or Two Seconds

Episode 6   
GONE IN ONE OR TWO SECONDS   
  
"Hi, this is TK. When we found out that there are Digimon back on Earth everybody kinda freaked out a little. But I didn't want to be around when they started arguing so Kari and I sat out on the balcony for a while. I made Kari promise that we'd always be best friends and we'd never fight like the others do sometimes. I hate it when people fight, and if I'm mad at Kari, how am I supposed to protect her? I gotta protect her cause I think there are bad Digimon who are watching us and who knows what kind of crazy stuff they're planning!" -TK   
  
Goromon worked diligently under the searing gaze of his master, Metaldragamon.   
  
"O Your Great Metalness, might I be permitted to speak?" he asked timidly at last.   
  
"About what?" Metaldragamon snapped.   
  
"Well, master," Goromon said as humbly as he could manage, "I know I have already addressed this issue, but I must continue to believe that the Digidestined are strong, and will be stronger if they are allowed to find the ninth Didgidestined. They did, after all, beat Skullvulmon."   
  
Metaldragamon laughed. "Fool," he sneered. "Did you even know that Skullvulmon was only a Champion?"   
  
Goromon blinked in surprise. "But I thought-"   
  
"I don't care what you thought," his master snapped. "Skullvulmon WAS a mere Champion. Oh, she was a strong one, and very close to digivolving to her Ultimate level. It's really very sad about her."   
  
"Yes, terribly sad, my lord," Goromon agreed. "But-"   
  
"The point is," Metaldragamon interuppted, "it took an Ultimate of theirs to beat a Champion of mine. They are strong, but not as strong as they may seem."   
  
"Of course, master," Goromon muttered. Angrily he thought to himself, *That fool is getting a much bigger head than he already has. He can't possibly believe that he can beat the Digidestined just like that, especially if they have the ninth one on their side?*   
  
Goromon shook his head and wondered, *Am I really on the stronger side?*   
  
"Are you finished yet?" Metaldragamon boomed.   
  
"Yes, master, nearly," Goromon replied instantly.   
  
"Good. We will see just how strong the Digidestined are when they are all separated. I will leave the human closest to the ninth Digidestined on Earth, for now." He smiled. "The time of reckoning is upon them."   
  
**********************  
  
Izzy was sleeping soundly in his room with Tentomon right next to him when there was a buzz on his computer. Incredibly, the laptop turned itself on, and the room was filled with a eerie glow.   
Izzy and Tentomon slept.   
  
All over the world, cats and dogs and other animals woke in fear, fur raised, claws bared, lips drawn back over teeth. In the Sahara Desert, a single flake of snow fell, and was soon joined by many others. In Paris, France, an incredible tornado kicked up in mere seconds and whipped through the city, bending even the Eiffel Tower. In New York City residents stopped what they were doing in fear and amazement as the ground shook in a record-breaking earthquake for that area. And all over the city of Odaiba, eight crests and nine digivices activated themselves in unison, while still their owners slept.   
  
Izzy and Tentomon woke up in the Digiworld, a rude awakening while falling through the sky followed by an abrupt meeting with the ground.   
  
The two sat up and looked around in amazement. And in seven other places in the Digiworld, seven other Digidestined and their Digimon did the same.   
  
The only ones left on Earth were Tai and Agumon. Them, and the ninth Digidestined.   
  
*******************  
  
Tai was once again woken up by his mother yelling, except this time she was shaking him too.   
He opened his eyes and stared at his mother's panic-striken face. "Mom, what's wrong?" he demanded, no longer tired.   
  
Agumon woke up too. "Are you okay, Mrs Kamiya?" he asked, concerned.   
  
"It's Kari," Mrs Kamiya said. "She's gone!"   
  
"What?!" Tai jumped out of bed and peered over the edge of the bunkbed on top of his. No Kari. Gatomon was gone, too.   
  
"I can't find her anywhere!" Mrs Kamiya sobbed, sinking to the floor.   
  
Tai's father came into the room. He sat down beside Mrs Kamiya and hugged her tightly. "I checked out the park and anywhere else she might have gone," he said grimly. "She wasn't there."   
  
Tai grabbed Agumon's arm and dragged him out of the room. "C'mon, Agumon, let's call Izzy," he said.   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Let's just say I have a bad feeling about this," he said grimly.   
  
Tai dialed Izzy's number. "Hi, is Izzy there?" (Paused) "WHAT?!"   
  
He hung up the phone and dialed Matt's number. Then Sora's. Then Joe's. Then Mimi's and finally TK's.   
  
"Even TK's missing!" he yelled, slamming down the phone in frustration. "Everyone's missing expect you and me, Agumon, along with their Digimon and their tags and crests and even Izzy's computer!"   
  
"What could have possibly happened?" Agumon demanded.   
  
Tai shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know."   
  
*How could I have let this happen?* he thought angrily to himself. *I'm supposed to be responsible for all the others. Especially Kari. She's my sister! How could I have possibly-*  
  
Then it dawned on him. "Agumon!" he yelled, startling his Digimon. "It must have been the drift!"   
  
"What?"   
  
"You know, the dimensional rift! It must have taken them all back! But why in the world would take all the others and leave me here..."   
  
"Is that where Kari is?" It was Mrs Kamiya. She was standing in the doorway with Mr Kamiya's arm around her shoulder. "She went back to that place...the Digiworld?"   
  
"I think so, Mom," Tai admitted.   
  
She stared at him. "How could you have let this HAPPEN?!" she demanded, her voice shaking. "Are you telling me your sister is there all alone?!"   
  
"I didn't let anything happen, Mom. And she's not alone. She has Gatomon with her, and all the others, too." *Hopefully,* Tai added silently, but he kept that to himself.   
  
Mrs Kamiya collapsed, sobbing, against her husband.   
  
"Don't worry, Mom," Tai said quickly, trying to reassure her. "Kari is very strong and very brave. She's been through worse than this and she'll pull through. I just have to figure out how to get back to the Digiworld and help her." He smiled weakly. "Looks like vacation is over."   
  
Mrs Kamiya looked up at him quickly. "Would you, Tai? Would you go find her?"   
  
"Sure I will," he assured her. "I know I can figure out how to get back there. Don't worry, I'll bring her home."   
  
Tai wasn't sure if his mother believed him, but she nodded.   
  
"Let's hope we CAN get back, Agumon," he whispered to his Digimon later in his room. "Or else I have a feeling we might be in trouble. And somebody has still got to find the ninth Digidestined."   
  
Next epsiode: "LOST AND FOUND" 


	7. Lost and Found

*I'm happy today, because I received my first review of the Harmony Chronicles (and it was a good one too :-D). Every author out there must know what I mean when I say that just an eensy-weensy bit of feedback makes writing worthwhile (hint, hint ^.~). Even if it's negative, you know- at least someone read it! Anyways, here's the next episode as promised. Enjoy!*  
  
Episode 7   
LOST AND FOUND   
  
"Everything has suddenly started going totally wack here on Earth. Last night while we were all sleeping a lot of weird stuff was happening all over the world, like a snowstorm in the Sahara, a tornado in Paris, France, and a big earthquake in New York City! Here in Odaiba everybody's crests and digivices started activating all at once although we weren't awake to see it. Then the drift opened and all of the Digidestined besides me and probably the ninth one were transported back to the Digiworld. I hope I find this ninth kid real soon." -Tai   
  
Kari opened her eyes and stared into Gatomon's concerned face. "Are you okay?" the Digimon demanded. "I was worried about you! You were out for a while."   
  
"I'm sorry I made you worry," Kari said. Then she rubbed her eyes, confused, and looked around. "Are we back in the Digiworld?"   
  
"That's what it seems," Gatomon replied.   
  
"But how?"   
  
Gatomon shrugged. "Don't ask me, I must have slept through it." She looked around. "My guess is that the dimensional rift opened while we were asleep and took us all back to the Digiworld."   
  
Kari shook her head. "But if everybody came back, then where are they? And what about Tai? Isn't he supposed to be looking after me?" For a moment, Kari felt mad at her brother, but then she realized she was being silly. It wasn't Tai's fault that this had happened. And just because she was scared, that didn't mean she was allowed to be mad at anyone. I have to be brave, Kari thought to herself. I have to be strong. That's what Tai would want me to do.   
  
"Well, I don't know where any of the others are," Gatomon told her. "I haven't seen anyone else around here. But look! I brought you some food."   
  
Kari took the food that Gatomon offered and quickly gobbled it down. "Thanks, Gatomon, that makes me feel better." She smiled at her Digimon, then worry came over her. "You had some yourself, right?"   
  
Gatomon nodded, smiling back. "Yep. There was plenty so I couldn't help being a greedy pig."   
  
Kari giggled. "That's okay. You need to eat so you can have the strength to digivolve."   
  
Gatomon nodded. "Right."   
  
Suddenly, from the woods, there came a loud cry. "Gatomon! Kari! Is that you?"   
  
Gatomon looked up quickly. "Patamon?" she asked as the Digimon came flying into the clearing.   
  
"And TK!" Kari cried joyfully when she saw her friend following Patamon.   
  
"Hi, Kari! You're here to, huh?"   
  
"Yeah," Kari said regretfully. "But that's okay, now that you're here."   
  
"I'm glad I found you!" TK exclaimed. "I was worried that I wasn't gonna find anyone!"   
  
"Me, too," Kari said soberly. "Our brothers must be worried sick about us."   
  
TK's face fell. "Yeah, you're probably right."   
  
"Then what are we standing around here for?" Gatomon said, trying to cheer them up. "We can find Tai and Matt, we just have to go look for them!"   
  
"Yeah, Gatomon's right!" Patamon added.   
  
Kari and TK perked up. "Yeah, we'd better go find them," TK said.   
  
"They'll be proud that we're being so brave," Kari said, smiling.   
  
"Right!" the other three replied, and together they went off into the woods in search of the others.   
  
********************  
  
Tai was sitting silently on his balcony with Lily, thinking about his sister. She had to be okay. She had Gatomon with her, and Gatomon was a powerful Digimon.   
  
Tai knew Lily was trying to think of something to say. He wasn't sure exactly why he called Lily after finding out that Kari and the others were missing. Maybe he just needed somebody to tell him that it was all going to be okay, even though he knew he should be trying to find a way to get to the Digiworld and help the others.   
  
Tai had never really been too sure exactly why he and Lily were best friends. They were definitely total opposites. Tai knew he was really hot-headed and acted pretty dumb sometimes. Tai was always the one who would start a fight, and Lily was always the one who broke it up. He teased her for that, calling her the Peacemaker, but in truth he admired her ability to bring about harmony in any situation.   
  
She liked to tease him an awful lot, too, especially about his obsession with soccor, but somehow when he was around her he never seemed to get very mad. It was impossible to fight with Lily, anyway. She could tell anyone off anytime.   
  
But she WAS good at making people feel better.   
  
"I'm sure Kari is all right," Lily said for the hundreth time. "She probably just wandered off somewhere."   
  
"Uh-huh." Tai wasn't really listening. He was staring at his digivice in anger, wishing it would somehow transport him back to the Digiworld. Of course he couldn't tell Lily where Kari and the others really were, but it didn't really matter.   
  
"Tai?" He looked up at Lily. She was staring at something strangely -his digivice, Tai realized, which was lying in his open palm. "What is that thing?"   
  
Tai quickly closed his fist over the device. "It's called a digivice," he said nervously. "It keeps track of the time and all."   
  
Among other things, he thought dryly to himself.   
  
"Oh, that's what you were talking about the other day?" Lily nodded. "I was just wondering 'cause..."   
She dug around in her pocket, and held something out for Tai to see. "I have one too."   
  
He nearly fainted.   
  
"I found this in my house one day," Lily continued, not noticing that Tai was totally freaking out. "I   
had no idea what it was but it gave me this weird feeling. Like I was drawn to it or something. It's not working or anything but I've been carrying around ever since. I don't really know why." She stared at Tai, then added, "Are you okay?"   
  
"Am I OKAY?!" he pratically screamed. Then he took a deep breath. "I mean, can I see that, Lily?"   
  
"Sure." She handed it over to him, still looking at him strangely. Tai took out his own digivice and laid it in one palm with Lily's in the other. Slowly his digivice started glowing, a tiny bit at first, then definitely bright enough to be noticed. Lily stared at them silently.   
  
Suddenly the digivice gave out a piercing whistle, like the one they usually made when someone was about to digivolve. Then with a tremor, Lily's digivice activated and began glowing and trilling just like the other. Slowly it raised itself out of Tai's hand and floated back to Lily, who was staring at it openmouthed. Tentively she opened her palm, and the digivice dropped into it and slowly deactivated.   
  
Lily raised her eyes and stared at Tai. "What on or off Earth was THAT?" she demanded.   
Tai could only shake his head. He couldn't believe it. LILY, the ninth Digidestined? But there could be no doubt about it. The digivice had claimed Lily as a Digidestined, and the digivices never lied.   
  
*I think I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do,* he thought ruefully.   
  
"Tai!" Lily yelled in alarm, bringing him back to his senses. "Look! They're doing it again!"   
  
Tai stared at his digivice and Lily's. Sure enough, they had started glowing again. Suddenly, both digivices gave a long, piercing trill and started shaking in their hands like they were going crazy or something.   
  
"What is going ON?" Tai demanded, more of himself than anyone else.   
  
All of a sudden, the door was flung open and Agumon came bounding outside.   
  
"Tai! I think you'd better look at this!" he yelled, pointing to the sky. "I saw it from the window inside!"   
  
Lily stared at Agumon. "You...you talked!"   
  
But Tai couldn't be concerned with Lily right now. There in the sky, right above them, a huge hole and begun to tear through as if soemone was cutting through the sky with a giant pair of sissors.   
  
"The drift!" he yelled.   
  
"The WHAT?" Lily demanded, but Tai and Agumon had already taken off, down the stairs to the street in front of the apartment complex.   
  
Lily caught up with them as they stood in the middle of the street, panting and staring up at the sky. The drift was slowly widening, and already, Tai could feel it tugging at him, trying to pull him in.   
"Agumon, I have a feeling we're going to be going back after all," he said tersely.   
  
"TAI!" Lily yelled, and before he could think, or react, she was pulled up off the street and into the drift. She quickly disappeared from sight.   
  
"Uh-oh," he murmured even as he and Agumon lifted up off the ground. "Lily is gonna ream me out big time over this one."   
  
There was a bright flash of light, a sensation of falling, and suddenly they were lying face-down on the grass in an open field next to woods. To their right a stream ran from the woods, and in the distance Tai could see a huge, dark mountain.   
  
"Agumon, are you okay?" Tai asked as they slowly sat up.   
  
"I think so," the Digimon replied.   
  
Suddenly, it all came back to Tai in a flash, and he bolted upright. "Lily! Lily's around here somewhere! C'mon, Agumon, we've got to go find her before she's attacked by who-knows-what."   
  
"Right," Agumon said, and the two raced off into the forest.   
  
Next Episode: "LILY'S DIGIMON"   
  
  



	8. Lily's Digimon

Episode 8   
LILY'S DIGIMON   
  
"After I found that Kari and the others were missing, I called Lily and she came over for a while. She saw me holding my digivice and asked me what it was, then she said she was just wondering 'cause she had one too! I totally freaked and then the digivices started freaking themselves. Lily's digivice rose out of my hand and floated itself over to hers, basically proving that she is the ninth Digidestined. And if that wasn't enough, the drift opened again and pulled Lily and I through! I think she's gonna be a little pissed. I just hope Agumon and I find her before anything bad happens." -Tai   
  
Lily was lying on something soft and prickely, grass probably. She didn't really care WHAT she was lying on. She just wanted to keep sleeping. But someone was bugging her.   
  
"Hello? Helloooo? Are you okay?"   
  
The voice sounded young and female. Jamie? Lily guessed.   
  
"Go away, Jamie," she muttered irritably.   
  
"Jamie?" the voice said. "Who's Jamie? My name's Auramon."   
  
Lily half-smiled, her eyes still glued shut. "That's a funny name."   
  
"Hey, wake UP!"   
  
"Whaaaat?" Lily demanded. She opened her eyes and stared into a pair of light blue ones that mirrored her own exactly...except they were attached to a creature unlike anything Lily had ever seen before.   
  
The creature smiled at her. "Hi. Good to see you're okay; I was worried for a second! What's your name?"   
  
Lily took a very deep breath.   
  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"   
  
*****************  
  
Tai and Agumon both started and looked up as a scream suddenly erupted from the woods.   
  
"Oh, no," Tai said. "I have a feeling that's Lily!"   
  
Tai and Agumon took off into the woods, following the stream, where they came to a clearing right next to a rock wall where a waterfall trickled down. In the middle of the clearing was Lily, who was screaming her head off, and a Digimon, who was watching in fascination.   
  
Tai ran to Lily's side. "Lily!" he yelled. "It's okay! Nobody's gonna hurt you!"   
  
She stopped screaming but stared at him as if it was his fault she was scared. "TAI! What is that...that thing!" She pointed a shaking finger at the Digimon.   
  
She glared back at Lily indignantly. The little Digimon looked like a tiny horse with wings and bright, blue eyes, just like Lily's. It's fur was white and it's mane and tail were an icy blue. She was only a little taller than Tai's knee, a bit small for a Rookie, but her features were too deatiled and defined to be In-Training.   
  
"I am not a thing!" the Digimon said in a high, clear voice. "My name is Auramon, like I told you. I'm sorry if I scared you but you don't have to be so rude about it."   
  
Lily calmed down almost immediately. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to be rude. My name's   
Lily."   
  
"Hi, Lily," Auramon said. The two smiled at each other, and immediately Tai began to wonder.   
  
Agumon must have wondered the same thing because he whispered, "D'you think that Auramon could be Lily's Digimon?"   
  
"It's possible," Tai whispered back.   
  
Suddenly it was like Lily became aware of her surroundings again, because she glared at Tai and said, "Okay, now that introductions are past...WHERE AM I?"   
  
"Well...this might take a while to explain."   
  
Lily glared at him. "Does it look like I have an appointment to be somewhere?!"   
  
"Okay, okay, don't get all snappy." Tai took a deep breath. "We're in a place called the Digiworld, Lily. Which basically means that we are not on Earth anymore."   
  
Lily stared at him. She took that fairly well, Tai thought.   
  
"Soooo...what am I doing here?" she said slowly.   
  
"It's all because of these." Tai held up his digivice. "These little gadgets are what started this whole thing."   
  
"And what is 'this whole thing?'"   
  
"Let me start at the beginning. When I went to summer camp, these digivices came out of the sky on the day that it snowed and came to us. By 'us' I mean the other Digidestined. There's eight of us now, besides you. You'll meet them soon."   
  
"What's a Digidestined?"   
  
"I'm getting to that. Anyway, a hole opened in the sky that we call the dimensional rift, and we were all pulled through. It was just seven of us then, me, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Joe, Mimi, and TK. The drift took us to this place, which we call the Digiworld. The Digiworld is like Earth in a lot of ways, except that all of it's inhabitants and us too, are just little giga-bites on the big super-computer of life."   
  
Lily stared at him blankly.   
  
"Okay, bad joke. Anyway, we met these little creatures called the Digimon."   
  
"That's us!" Auramon piped up.   
  
"You mean all of these little things-" Lily pointed at Agumon "-and that one too, are all Digimon?"   
  
"Right. It's short for Digital Monsters. Except not all of them are so little and nice. The ones we met were, though. There were seven of them, and we each paired up with one. Mine's called Agumon," he added proudly.   
  
Lily gave a tiny smile. "Nice to meet you," she said faintly to Agumon.   
  
"Nice to meet you too, Lily."   
  
"Well, anyway," Tai continued, "we found out that the seven of us, plus my sister Kari and one more, are meant to be the Digidestined. That means that we are destined to fight all the evil Digimon and protect both our worlds, the Digiworld and Earth, from being destroyed."   
  
"Fight?" Lily demanded. "What could you possibly have to fight with?"   
  
"Well, that's where the Digimon come in," Tai explained. "You see, thse guys can do something called digivolve, which is what happens when they advance to the next stage and become more powerful. There are six stages we know about: Baby, In-Training, Rookie (which is what these guys are now), Champion, Ultimate, and Mega. We, the humans, help the Digimon digivolve and fight the evil Digimon that come along. It's kind of difficult to describe. You have to see it."   
  
Lily was very quiet for a moment. Then she said, "I'd ask what this all has to do with me, but I have a feeling I already know the answer."   
  
"See, that's the thing," Tai said nervously. "We were told that there would be a ninth Digidestined joining us soon. And since your digivice has already activated, there's not much doubt that you are the ninth Digidestined."   
  
Lily was silent, and Tai had the feeling that she was struggling not to explode. "So what you're telling me is...I am this 'Digidestined', whatever, and I'm supposed to help fight the bad Digimon?"   
  
"Yeah, that's basically it. But hey, at least your summer won't be boring anymore, right?"   
  
Lily stared at him, and the faintest smile appeared on her face. "Okay. So I'm kind of a superhero. I can deal with that. But who's my Digimon?"   
  
"I am," Auramon spoke up. The three of them stared at her as she stepped forward proudly. "Listening to you talk made me realize what my purpose is, and why I've been lonely all my life. I've been waiting for you, Lily." Auramon smiled at her. "And now that I've finally found you, I'm going to do my best to protect you!"   
  
Lily smiled a surprised smile. "Okay. I think I'd like it if you were my Digimon. I don't know much about you, but I think we'll be good friends."   
  
"Yes, we'll be best friends for life!" Auramon said happily.   
  
Tai couldn't help sighing in relief. At least that part was taken care of.   
  
Next Episode: "THE HUNT RESUMES"   



	9. The Hunt Resumes

*Enjoy! Please r and r!*  
  
Episode 9   
THE HUNT RESUMES   
  
"When Tai and the ninth Digidestined, Lily, were transported to the Digiworld, they were separated but found each other right away. Lily met a little horse-like Digimon called Auramon who eventually claimed to be her partner. Tai had a lot of explaining to do, but fortunately Lily didn't freak out. Well, not much, anyway." -Kari  
  
Izzy and Tentomon were huffing and puffing as they fought their way up a steep hill. It was a desolate area with few plants and a lot of rock walls.   
  
"Izzy," Tentomon said, "why does it...pant...seem like we're always...wheeze...walking uphill?"   
  
"Because you could use the exercise," Izzy said wearily, gamely trying to joke.   
  
Tentomon stopped walking and plopped down in the middle of the trail. "That's it," he said. "I don't want to walk anymore. I don't know why we're going up this hill in the first place."   
  
"Because we want to see if we recognize the landscape from up top," Izzy explained patiently for the hundreth time.   
  
"If only I could digivolve," Tentomon grumbled. "Then we could simply fly up. But I'm hungry and tired and I just don't have any strength."   
  
Izzy wasn't listening. "Do you smell smoke?"   
  
Tentomon raised his head. "Now that you mention it, I do. Maybe a fire means someone's cooking!"   
  
Then, off from around the bend, they heard: "MARCHING FISHES! That's right, little guys, c'mon up!"   
  
"That's Gomamon!" Izzy and Tentomon yelled. Their energy ruined, they raced around the bend and   
came upon a stream, Joe, and Gomamon, who was busy swiping fish out of the water.   
  
"Izzy, it's you!" Joe yelled happily. He was holding a stick over the fire with a charred fish on the end.   
  
"C'mon, guys, have some grub!" Gomamon added. "I don't like eating my friends but there's not much else around here sooo..."   
  
Izzy and Tentomon didn't need a second invitation.   
  
******************  
  
Tai, Lily, Agumon and their newest Digimon friend Auramon headed through the forest, looking for food.   
  
"It's important that the Digimon eat so that they have the strangth to digivolve," Tai explained to Lily as they went along, picking up as much food as they could carry.   
  
"So when are you going to digivolve, Auramon?" Lily asked.   
  
She shook her head. "I don't know. It could be soon or it could be a while from now. It depends."   
  
"On what?"   
  
"We Digimon digivolve to defend our human partners," Agumon explained. "In order for Auramon to digivolve, you need to be in a situation where you're in great danger."   
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Gee, that sounds like fun."   
  
"And of course, I have to be well-rested and fed," Auramon added. "Digivolving is a difficult process and it takes a long time for it to happen naturally."   
  
"So what DOES happen when you digivolve?" Lily demanded.   
  
"Well, we get larger, and our attack power increases," Auramon explains.   
  
"When it happens naturally, Digimon usually stay in the stage they've digivolved to," Tai added.   
  
"So how come Agumon's still a Rookie?" Lily pointed out. "I'm assuming he's digivolved to a higher stage."   
  
"Yep, Agumon's gone all the way to Mega," Tai said proudly. "But when they digivolve with help from their human partners, they only temporarily gain the energy needed to do it, which they then use up in a fight. Then they usually dedigivolve to the Rookie stage."   
  
Lily looked at Auramon. "Are you a Rookie?"   
  
"Yep," Auramon said. "I digivolved from my In-Training stage, Tiramon, just a little while ago. My next stage is Champion, but I guess I'll only be in that stage while fighting."   
  
"What is your Champion level?" Lily asked.   
  
"Well, I won't know until I become Champion," Auramon said.   
  
"That's the fun of digivolving," Tai said. "It's like your birthday and Christmas rolled into together- it's always a big surprise!"   
  
**********************  
  
In Metaldragamon's cavern, Goromon and his master watched the ninth Digidestined and the other one.   
  
"He has not given her the tag yet, sir," Goromon reported. "I suppose he is waiting for the right moment to tell her about the crests."   
  
"We will wait until the ninth crest is found," Metaldragamon decided.   
  
Goromon spun around, shocked. "But-but master! You have already allowed them to find the ninth child. Surely if they find the ninth crest, they will be ever more powerful!"   
  
Metaldragamon glared at him. "What did I tell you about questioning my decisions, Goromon?!" he bellowed.   
  
Goromon shut his mouth and turned away in disgust. *The fool,* he thought to himself. *How can he possibly believe that they will not be made stronger by the power of the ninth crest?*   
  
"Kazikonzamon!" Metaldragamon snapped.   
  
"Yes, my lord," came a slimy, smooth voice from the darkness.   
  
"Go now," Metaldragamon ordered. "Attack them."   
  
"At once, my lord." And the voice was quickly gone.   
  
Next Episode: "UNICORN LANCE!" 


	10. "Unicorn Lance!"

Episode 10   
"UNICORN LANCE!"   
  
"After we found Lily's Digimon, I told her everything there is to know about Digivolving. After that we went out to try to find the others, who are probably scattered all over the island. I just know somebody out there is planning some kind of weird attack. We've got to find the others or else we'll be weak. I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but I hope we survive it." -Tai   
  
Jamie Teshamato, 26 years old, in her fourth year of med school, and soon to get her MD, came home from classes one day and found her younger sister missing.   
  
She called the Kamiya's first.   
  
"Hello, Mrs. Kamiya," Jamie said into the phone. "Is Lily over there? She's not here so I figured-"   
  
"Lily isn't here," Mrs. Kamiya said, choking back a sob. "Neither are Tai or Kari."   
  
"What?" Jamie demanded. "I don't-"   
  
"They're missing, too," Mrs. Kamiya said.   
  
"Missing?! But how...?"   
  
"I don't know," Mrs. Kamiya said shortly, and hung up the phone.   
  
Of course Mrs. Kamiya did know where both of her children were. But she couldn't tell Jamie that. As for Lily, the last Mrs. Kamiya had seen of her was when she watched helplessly as both Tai and Lily were pulled through the "drift" into the digital world. But somehow she didn't think Jamie would buy that story.   
  
Meanwhile Jamie was calling as many people as she knew, and when nobody was able to help her, she finally called the police.   
  
"Missing kid?" the officer said, sounding not at all surprised. "We'll get on that as soon as we can, ma'am."   
  
"As soon you CAN?!" Jamie demanded, outraged. "My sister is missing!"   
  
"I'm very sorry, ma'am, but yours is not the only case we have to deal with right now. There have been monster attacks all over town-"   
  
"MONSTER ATTACKS?!"   
  
"-plus we have eight other missing kids who all vanished between last night and right now..."   
  
The officer droned on and on, but Jamie didn't know what to say.  
  
*********************  
  
It was getting dark by the time Lily finally suggested that the little group made up of her, Tai, Auramon and Agumon stop for the night.   
  
"That sounds like a good idea to me," Auramon said, collapsing wearily on the ground.   
  
Tai looked over the pitiful, tired little group. "Okay, we can stop here for the night. But we have to get moving right away tomorrow. We have to get out of these mountains."   
  
*Easier said than done,* Lily thought wearily. She wasn't really used to hiking through the mountains all day long. It seemed that Tai's "dimmensional rift" had dumped them on one side of the mountains, right next to the coast. Tai was pushing to get over the mountains, and since Lily didn't really know what else to do, she followed.   
  
Auramon said, "Just leave the mountain climbing to me! It's gonna be hard, especially when we get to the cold places, but I know some trails that should cut the trip in half."   
  
"Why do we need to get out of these mountains so bad?" Lily demanded suddenly. "We have water right here, since we've been following this stream. We have food. It'll be hard to travel in the mountains, like Auramon said. We don't have an appointment to be somewhere, do we?"   
  
"Well, we have to find the others," Tai said peevishly, like he was annoyed that she'd even question what they were doing.   
  
"What others?"   
  
"Oh, right, I didn't tell you about them, did I?" Tai asked. "Well, there are others like us. Other Digidestined. There are nine of us, to be exact, counting you and me. My sister, Kari, is one of them."   
  
"Really?" Lily didn't think that Kari looked much like the superhero type. But then again, neither did Tai. Or Lily herself.   
  
*********************  
  
Lily and Auramon fell asleep almost instantly, but Tai and Agumon stayed awake long into the night, keeping guard.   
  
Then at last, just as the both of them were starting to nod off, Tai raised his head suddenly and stared into the darkness.   
  
"Do you feel that?" he whispered.   
  
"Feel what?" Agumon murmured, coming back from the brink of sleep.   
  
"I don't know how to describe it," Tai said slowly. "I get this feeling sometimes. Like trouble about to happen. I guess you could call it my digi-sense."   
  
Agumon was about to reply when the both heard a noise. Like a footstep.   
  
"Did you hear that?" Tai demanded in a whisper.   
  
Agumon nodded nervously. "What do we do, Tai?"   
  
Tai looked around, taking stock of their situation quickly. He made a snap decision. "Get in the   
bushes. I'll wake up Lily. We'll wait till this thing comes to us, then you can surprise it."   
  
"Okay," Agumon said, and raced off into the bushes.   
  
Tai grabbed Lily's shoulder and shook her. She started.   
  
"Get up, Lily. We have to move."   
  
"Why?" she demanded in a fierce whisper.   
  
"Something's coming."   
  
"Oh." Feeling fear rise in her chest, Lily quickly turned to Auramon and gathered the sleeping Digimon into her arms. "Now what?"   
  
"Get in the bushes. Wake up Auramon. If there's danger, she might be able to digivolve, which would be good for us," he added anxiously.   
  
Lily did what he said without hesitation. After all, he probably knew a bit more about these type of situations than she did. Once she was in the bushes, she gently shook Auramon awake.   
  
"Wha's goin on?" Auramon said groggily.   
  
"There's someone coming," Lily whispered.   
  
Auramon blinked and didn't answer, but looked much more alert.   
  
The footsteps were much closer and louder now. It sounded like something big was crashing through the bush. And then it, whatever it was, bounded into the clearing.   
  
"What is that?" Lily whispered. "Some kind of devil kangeroo?"   
  
It certainly looked like one. In fact, it looked very much like a kangeroo with long, sharp teeth and boxing gloves on it's hands. It was black all over except for a white skull on it's back and on it's stomach. And it was big. As in very, very big.   
  
"Kazikonzamon," Agumon said grimly.   
  
"Kazi-whatmon?" Tai demanded.   
  
"Kazikonzamon. A devil kangeroo is probably a good way to describe it. It's got a nasty attitude and a mean punch."   
  
Tai's and Lily's digivices both started beeping. Tai and Lily both clapped their hands over them to try and muffle the sound.   
  
"What are they doing?!" Lily whispered fiercely.   
  
"They're recording the Digimon," Tai explained quickly. "If we get out of this alive, we can put them into Izzy's Digimon Analyzer and find out more about Kazikonzamon."   
  
Lily barely had time to say, "What?" before Kazikonzamon was staring at the bushes.   
  
"So that's where you're hiding," he said in a smooth voice, sounding amused. "How original."   
  
"He's noticed us," Tai said grimly.   
  
"Gee, you think?" Lily and Auramon both said in unison.   
  
"Come on out and make it easy on yourselves!" Kazikonzamon called.   
  
"Tai, should I digivolve?" Agumon demanded.   
  
Tai nodded. "Do it!"   
  
Agumon stepped from the bushes.   
  
"Ah, a volunteer," Kazikonzamon laughed. "You will be the first to die."   
  
"Guess again," Tai whispered fiercely, gripping the digivice tightly.   
  
"Agumon! Digivolve to...GREYMON!"   
  
Lily gaped in amazment. She was watching her first digivolution. Agumon had changed almost instantly into a much more powerful-looking creature. Greymon still looked basically like an orange dinosaur, but definitely a lot bigger than Agumon had been. And probably much more deadly.   
  
"Looks like the kangeroo needs to be taught a lesson," Greymon growled in a deep, thick voice.   
He charged Kazikonzamon. Kazikonzamon charged Greymon. They both slammed into each other like a couple of trucks doing a hundred miles an hour.   
  
"NOVA BLAST!" Greymon unleashed his attack right into Kazikonzamon's face. The Digimon bellowed and stumbled back.   
  
"Now you've made me really mad!" Kazkonzamon screamed. "DARK STRIKE!"   
  
From his gloves shot a black kind of fire that hit Greymon squarely in the chest. He went down hard and immediately de-digivolved.   
  
"Oh, no!" Auramon cried.   
  
"Agumon!" Tai yelled. "Get up! You're the only one who can fight!"   
  
But Agumon was out cold.   
  
Kazikonzamon turned to Lily and Auramon. "My master will be disapointed that he did not get a   
chance to play with you first," he laughed. "But he gave me orders to kill you if I could."   
  
Kazikonzamon raised his gloves, pointe-blank at Lily and Auramon. "DARK STRIKE!"   
  
Lily felt the digivice vibrate crazily in her palm.   
  
"Auramon! Digivolve to...AURORAMON!"   
  
Auroramon knocked Lily aside with her head and easily jumped clear of the attack.   
  
Lily stared in wonder at her Digimon. The tiny Rookie had become a beautiful, powerful Champion. Auroramon was still a horse, but what a horse! Her powerful muscles were visible under her skin. Her white fur was pratically iridescent in the moonlight. Her blue mane cascaded down her back in wild curls, and her wings were wide-swept and gigantic. She had strange ornaments on her legs, from the knees to the hooves, which looked like some sort of metal leg-warmers. And she had a long golden horn on her forehead, where nothing had been before.   
  
She was also very tall, much larger than a normal horse. Lily was barely the height of one of her legs.   
  
Auroramon grinned at Lily, then spread her wings and took to the air.   
  
"You stupid Digimon!" Kazikonzamon bellowed. "Do you actually think you can defeat ME?!"   
  
"We'll see," Auroramon replied calmly. Her voice was deeper than it had been before, and so clear that it sounded like some sort of strangely beautiful music.   
  
"DARK STRIKE!" Kazikonzamon yelled, unleashing his attack, but Auroramon easily dodged it. Then she raised her head proudly, the tip of her horn shining with an iridescent blue light.   
  
"Your time is up, Kazikonzamon. UNICORN LANCE!"   
  
Hundreds of tiny arrows of blue light shot from her horn and engulfed Kazikonzamon. He gave an anguished cry and dissolved into nothing.   
  
"You did it, Auroramon!" Lily yelled happily.   
  
"Wow, she was great!" Tai exclaimed.   
  
Auroramon smiled at them. "It was nothing," she said modestly.   
  
Next episode: ANOTHER SEPARATION   
  



	11. Another Separation

*An earthquake? A mysterious disappearance? Or is it Metaldragamon's doing?*  
  
Episode 11   
ANOTHER SEPARATION   
  
"I guess I'd better fill you guys in. Tai, Agumon, Auramon and I were wandering around the mountains, minding our own business, when this big ugly kangeroo called Kazikonzamon came out of nowhere when we were sleeping and attacked us. Agumon did that digivolving thing and tried to fight Kazikonzamon but he was just no match for him. I thought I was dead meat until Auramon digivolved to Auroramon and kicked that kangeroo's butt. That little Digi really had it in her." -Lily   
  
After the defeat of Kazikonzamon, Tai, Lily, and their Digimon had decided it might be a good idea to start moving instead of waiting around for the next Digimon to attack them. The sun was just rising over the snow-capped mountains when the group stopped for a break.   
  
"I have something for you," Tai said to Lily. "I kept forgetting to give it to you before, but Auramon's digivolve last night reminded me."   
  
He held out his hand.   
  
"A necklace?" Lily exclaimed, taking it from him. It was some kind of weird pendant hanging on a chain. The pendant was a gold color, shaped like an elongated octagon, with a rectangular panel of glass in the middle.   
  
"Not just a necklace," Tai said. "It's a tag. It'll hold your crest, once you find it."   
  
This meant absolutely nothing to Lily. "What a crest?" she asked blankly.   
  
Tai grabbed something around his neck and pulled it up over his head. He held it up for Lily to see.   
It was another tag, identical to Lily's, except it had a tiny rectangle with a strange design under the glass. The design looked like an orange sun.   
  
"That's a crest," Tai said, pointing to the design. "This crest will help Auramon digivolve to her Ultimate stage. Ultimate is the level after Champion."   
  
"Where do I find my crest?" Lily demanded.   
  
"We found ours all over the Digiworld. Somehow they always seem to just come to us. You'll find yours sooner or later," Tai assured her. "The other Digidestined have them too. Each one is different. The designs represent our best qualities. Each of the Digidestined have one quality that's essential to the group."   
  
"What does your crest represent?" Lily asked.   
  
Tai grinned recklessly. "Courage."   
  
*******************  
  
"He has given her the crest, my master," Goromon reported, as he and Metaldragamon watched the two Digidestined.   
  
"I have eyes, Goromon," Metaldragamon snapped.   
  
Goromon decided to try again. "The girl and her Digimon defeated Kazikonzamon all on their own, master. And unless I am mistaken, I believe that Kazikonzamon was an Ultimate. Auroramon was only a Champion."   
  
"What's your point?" Metaldragamon demanded.   
  
"She is strong," Goromon said simply.   
  
Metaldragamon laughed scornfully. "She will not be strong enough. We will see how strong she is when she is lost and cut off from the others. Is your work done?" he added.   
  
"Yes, master."   
  
"Then we will show her my little playground."   
  
******************  
  
Auramon led the way up the side of a vast mountain, chattering the whole way.   
  
"I was born up on this mountain, you know," Auramon told them. "I would have frozen to death as a baby Digimon if the other Auramon hadn't taken care of me. We live in herds up in the mountains usually, but as soon as I digivolved to Tiramon I went down to the valley to live there."   
  
"Tiramon?" Lily said blankly.   
  
"My In-Training stage," Auramon explained. "Most Tiramon live up in the mountains, too, but I didn't want to for some reason. Of course I understand it now; it was because I knew you were coming, Lily. But I still know my way around these mountains. All Auramon are born with that knowledge."   
  
"You must be a very good mountain climber, too," Lily growled.   
  
"Yep," Auramon said cheerfully. They'd been climbing this mountain for hours now and she wasn't even out of breath, while Lily, Tai, and Agumon were about ready to collapse.   
  
"Come on, you guys, pick up the pace," Auramon scolded. "We're almost at the top!" She bounded away through the snow.   
  
Lily glanced at Tai. He shrugged wearily. "We can always take a break at the top."   
  
Lily looked up. "I think we are at the top."   
  
She was right. The ground leveled very suddenly, leaving them with sort of a large, flat ledge to stand on at the very top of the mountain. The air was freezing and thin, but the view was beautiful.   
  
"Looks like we might be on Continent Server," Tai said, noting the vast desert far in the distance where they had fought Etemon.   
  
"Is this where the other Digidestined are?" Lily asked.   
  
Tai shurgged. "I don't know. I hope so."   
  
"It's so quiet up here," Agumon commented.   
  
"A little too quiet," Auramon said, bounding out of nowhere. "I don't see any of my cousins. In fact, I don't see anyone at all. It's as if they've all been chased away."   
  
"It is too quiet up here," Lily said, shivering slightly. "It's giving me the creeps. I think we should get out of here."   
  
She had barely finished before the ground suddenly began to rumble and shake.   
  
"EARTHQUAKE!" Tai and Lily both yelled instictively.   
  
"It's not an earthquake!" Auramon yelled back. "There's never been an earthquake in these mountains."   
  
"Then how...?" Lily demanded. Her words were lost as a loud roar like thunder split the air.   
  
It happened very suddenly. Agumon was the first to notice that the snow was falling away, sliding into a crack in the earth. He yelled a warning to Tai, and they both jumped back, away from the hole.   
  
Then the mountain simply split in half, the two pieces moving away with a sickening scrape. The movement kicked up the snow and sent it swirling into the air, blurring Tai and Agumon's vision.   
When the movement finally stopped, and the snow finally cleared, they saw that the mountain had closed up again, just like that.   
  
They did not see Lily or Auramon.   
  
Next Episode: "THE METAL CITY"   
  



	12. The Metal City

Episode 12   
THE METAL CITY   
  
"Once Auramon had defeated Kazikonzamon, we decided it might be a good idea to get out of the mountains before somebody else attacked us. Auramon led the way since she knew the mountains, but when we reached the peak of the highest mountain, there was nobody around, which was just too creepy. And then to make things way worse, the entire mountain simply opened up all of a sudden and then slid back together as if nothing had happened. And if that wasn't bad enough, once everything had cleared, we saw that Lily and Auramon were gone! But I think I know where they went." -Tai   
  
Sora and Biyomon were wandering through a vast jungle when Sora decided to make a diffident half-suggestion.   
  
"If you digivolved, you know, we'd be able to fly out of here and maybe find the others."   
  
Biyomon shook her head. "I can't do it right now. I'm just too hungry. Besides, even if I could, we wouldn't be able to spot the others from the air if they're all in the jungle. The foliage is too thick."   
  
Sora, who had been thinking the same thing, nodded her agreement. "Well, I hope someone will find us."   
  
"You're in luck, then," a voice said from behind them.   
  
Sora and Biyomon whirled around. "Matt!" Sora cried.   
  
"And Gabumon!" Biyomon added joyfully.   
  
"Yeah, we're here, too," Matt said, not sounding too thrilled about it.   
  
"Where are the others?" Sora demanded.   
  
Matt shrugged. "Beats me. You're the first person I've seen all day."   
  
"Maybe the others aren't here at all," Gabumon suggested. "Maybe they're back on Earth."   
  
Matt looked relieved. "Right. They'd be safe back on Earth."   
  
"Matt, I'm sure wherever TK is, he's okay," Sora said quietly.   
  
He looked at her, surprised. Then he smiled gratefully. "Right. But I guess we should still look for the others. Just in case."   
  
*****************  
  
Lily woke up on a cold, hard floor in a cold, dark place, and realized she was lying on top of something warm and furry.   
  
"Auramon!" she yelled, jumping up.   
  
Auramon's eyes snapped open. "I'm okay, I'm okay!" Then she blinked. "What the...?"   
  
"Are you all right?" Lily crooned, hugging her Digimon. "I think I was lying on top of you this entire time!"   
  
Auramon smiled up at her. "Don't worry; you aren't THAT heavy. Besides, somebody had to try and slow your fall."   
  
Lily vaguely remembered falling for a long time and then hitting the ground none too gently.   
  
"Well, you must have slowed it, or else I'd probably be dead right now. Why didn't you digivolve?"   
  
Auramon shook her head sorrowfully. "I couldn't. You let go of the digivice when we were falling. I don't know where it is."   
  
"What?!" Lily dropped to her hands and knees and began crawling around. "It's gotta be around here somewhere."   
  
"I don't know much about these digivices, Lily," Auramon began. "But your tag was glowing earlier. Then it stopped suddenly. If you're digivice was still around, I think it would probably still be glowing."   
  
Lily fingered the tag absently. "Well, now what are we supposed to do? Just sit around in this hole?"   
  
"I never knew this mountain was hollow," Auramon said as she walked morbidly around, her hooves clacking on the floor. She froze suddenly, and looked down. "Metal!" she yelled.   
  
"What?" Lily said.   
  
"The floor is metal! Why else would my hooves make a noise?"   
  
Lily realized that she was right. "But why would a hollow mountain be made of metal? Unless..."   
She looked around. "There's light coming from somewhere. And air, too! There's a tiny breeze, like a draft or something."   
  
"Somebody put this here," Auramon said darkly. "This isn't natural." She spread her wings suddenly and leapt into the air. "AURA BEAM!"   
  
A blinding beam of light suddenly shot from her eyes, making the entire area as bright as day.   
Lily glimpsed a tunnel at the far end of the metal cavern just before Auramon's light disappeared.   
  
"There's a tunnel or something over there," Lily said to Auramon, walking toward it.   
  
"I saw it," Auramon replied grimly, hurrying to catch up.   
  
The tunnel was short. After only a few minutes of walking, it suddenly opened up again into an enormous underground cavern. The cavern was filled with buildings and streets and alleyways and everything- all made of dark metal.   
  
"Amazing!" Lily gasped. "It's like an entire city!"   
  
"I think it is," Auramon said. "Take a look at this."   
  
Lily followed her Digimon's gaze. There was a sign right above their heads, and Lily could just make out the words in the dim light: Metal City  
  
Next episode: METALDRAGAMON'S ATTACK  



End file.
